Long march for restoration of deposed judges begins

 

Geo Report: Updated at: 1133 PST, Thursday, March 12, 2009

Lawyers and political workers kicked off long march for the restoration of free judiciary arrests continues.

According to reports, leader of Jamaat-i-Islami Prof. Ghafoor Ahmad, Asadullah Bhutto, President Karachi Bar Muhammad Ali Abbasi, general secretary and dozens of poitical workers and lawyers have been arrested so far.

Earlier, large number of lawyers were gathered outside High Court from where long march was kicked off. A rally of lawyers left for Mazar-i-Quaid.

Lawyers had announced to stage sit-in at constitution avenue in Islamabad on March 16 which will lasts till the restoration of the judiciary to November 2 position.

Meanwhile, lawyers have been gathered in district court Quetta. President Supreme Court Bar Ali Ahmad Kurd is leading them.

Some reports of torture from police on participants of rally in Karachi have been received.

The workers of Sindh Taraaqi Pasand Party, Jamaat-i-Islami and Tahreek-i- Insaaf accused police of torture.

Police have sealed the high court and checking has been beefed up at entry and exit routes of Karachi.

 

 

 

Rahman in search of Rahmat

A. R. Rahman won two Oscars this year for his music in the film Slumdog Millionaire

 “Islam gives me peace” – In India’s film world, people change Muslim names to Hindu ones to get success but, “in my case it was just the opposite from Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman — and I’m very proud of it.” A R Rahman says.

From a non-believer to a worshipper; from polytheist to monotheist; from Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman, the famous music wizard has come a long way. This journey, he says, has completely changed his outlook toward life.
 
Rahman is well-known in India. He revolutionized Bollywood music, giving it a new direction. But in Mina, the man was spiritually charged, relaxing in his camp after Isha prayers, remarkably very far from the rhythm of success.
 
He said that in India’s film world, people change Muslim names to Hindu ones to get success but, “in my case it was just the opposite from Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman — and I’m very proud of it.”

Rahman’s music is everywhere: in discotheques, in malls, at wedding parties, on satellite channels, in taxis.. He is a celebrity in his own right. His face adorns the cover of every album he cuts. Autograph hunters hound him wherever he goes. A couple of companies have tried to lure him into product endorsements, but he refused, preferring to distance himself from the glare and the sometimes self-indulgent afterglow of fame.
 
Such was his attitude when Arab News met him yesterday in Mina after a hunt of five hours that had started just after Maghreb prayers.
 
Once a practitioner of idolatry, Rahman now talks about Islam like a scholar. He winced as he spoke about the ignorance of some Muslims and the divisions among them on trivial issues.
 
Rahman, who has come to perform his second Haj with his mother, utilized every bit of his stay in Mina, Arafat and Madinah in prayer and remembrance of God to “cleanse the inner self.”
 
He said Islam is a religion of peace, love, coexistence, tolerance and modernity. But due to the behavior of a few of us, it’s labeled as an intolerant orthodoxy. He says that the image of Islam is being tarnished by a small group of people and that Muslims must come forward to present before the world the correct picture of their divine faith.
 
“The enormity of their ignorance of the Islamic history and its code of conduct is mind-boggling. We should be united in fighting these elements for the cause of Islam,” he said.
“Muslims should go to lengths to follow the basics, which say ‘be kind to your neighbors, keep smiling when you meet others, pray and do charity.’ We should serve humanity. We should not show hostility toward others, even to the followers of other faiths. This is what Islam stands for. We should present before the world a model through our behavior, nature and presentation.
 
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never used his sword to spread Islam; rather he spread the religion through his virtues, behavior, tolerance and righteousness. And this is what is needed to change today’s distorted image of Islam.”

 
Talking about his Haj, Rahman said, “Allah made it very easy for us. And up until now, I have enjoyed every bit of my stay in the holy land and I pray to Allah to accept my pilgrimage.”
 
For him, the stoning ritual is a physical exercise that symbolizes internal struggle: “It means the defeat of temptation and killing the devil inside ourselves.”
 
“I would like to tell you that this year I got the most precious gift on my birthday, Jan. 6. Allah gave me the opportunity to confine myself inside the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and pray all through the day. Nothing could match this experience and that too on my birthday; I am extremely delighted and thankful to Allah,” he said.
 
Rahman said that prayers release his tension and give him a sense of containment. He performs prayers despite heavy work pressure. “I am an artist, but despite tremendous work pressure I never skip prayers,” he said. “I am very punctual in offering the day’s all five prayers on time. This releases me from tension and gives me hope and confidence that the Lord is with me, that this is not the only world. It reminds me of the Day of Judgment.”
It was in the year 1989 that he and his family embraced Islam.
 
Talking about his reversion, Rahman said, “The whole process started with a sequence of dream. It was in 1988. I was in Malaysia and had a dream of an old man who was asking me to embrace Islam. For the first time, I did not take it seriously, but then I saw the same dream several times and I discussed it with my mother. She encouraged me to go ahead and to respond to the call of the Almighty. Also, in 1988, one of my sisters fell seriously ill and in spite of the family’s effort to cure her, her health deteriorated by the day. Then under the guidance of one Muslim religious leader we prayed to Allah, which did wonder for my sister and she made a miraculous comeback to life. Thus, began my journey from Dileep Kumar to A.R. Rahman.”
 
He said the decision to embrace Islam was a mutual one with his mother. Not one to normally discuss this aspect of his private life, after taking a pause, Rahman narrates succinctly, “My mother and I resolved to follow one faith … we wanted to cleanse ourselves of our sorrows.”
 
After initial doubts, his three sisters also embraced Islam. For them he has tried to be a role model, he said. However, his eldest sister was divorced later.
Rahman began learning piano at the age of four. But life was not all that hunky-dory for the young boy who lost his father at the age of nine.
 
The responsibility of supporting his mother Kasturi (now Kareema Begum) and three sisters soon fell on his young shoulders. He began his prosperous musical career at age eleven out of necessity.
 
Rahman is married to Saira. They have three children: two girls, 10 and seven, and a three-year-old son.
 
Rahman performed his first Haj in 2004. This time, he is accompanying his mother.
“I wanted to bring my wife also for Haj this year, but since my son is only three years old, she could not make it. God willing, I will come again — next time with my wife and children,” Rahman said.

 

Credits: A R Rahman exclusive Blog ~ Rahmaniac

Attack in Lahore – Qui Bono [who benefits]

By Azhar Aslam and Shaista Kazmi (Vision21)

Pakistan is in a classic ‘cry wolf’ situation. Now that the wolf has come one risks shouting about it at the peril of being called paranoid, liar, crazy or conspiracy theorist. But this unfortunate ‘wolf cry’ of the ‘foreign hand’ may have given a room to maneuver and protection to the external players and handlers. Fourteen ( or twelve) gunmen attacked Sri Lankan cricket team and their guards in a coordinated, well planned attack and got away (until now). But fool may be the one who thinks this was a senseless attack with the aim of terrorising ordinary Lahorites. So let us just look at the facts and let everyone draw their own conclusion. The attack has raised many questions which are pertinent and of utmost relevance and must be answered in a forensic manner.

Attackers: These observations are made on the basis of TV footage available.

Attackers were young (apparently 14 in number). They were heavily armed, had latest equipment for communication and had enormous firepower. They were wearing trousers and shirts and shalwar and shirts and traveled by rickshaws and car. They were not classic Taliban look-alike. They managed to transport all this heavy weaponry to Liberty. That must have required planning and human resource.

They must have had more accomplices who helped them escape. After they ran off there must have been transport waiting to ferry them away. So the routes and roads must have been well known. Some of the attackers were already positioned in the roundabout itself.

For escape there must have been at least seven rickshaws (unlikely), 3-4 cars or couple or mini vans or a mixture of these (to carry 14 people unless some of them walked to escape in the ensuing chaos). This means there were at least 3 to 8 other people involved. This brings a group total to about twenty.

Surely keeping a lid on this operation between twenty people must have been difficult. So it must have been very highly disciplined gang who has already committed such acts and whose members knew each other well. Or if for security these people were being told at the very last minute what to do, then that indicates a certain amount of professionalism that comes with lot of money and lot of previous training and expertise. So while attackers on Mumbai may have time on their side and planners could have chosen a complete novice and trained him at their leisure, this could not have been the case in Lahore attack, which could only involve pre-trained group of people, who in all likelihood have worked together before. Although possibility of two or three separate gangs being knitted together with specific tasks cannot be ruled out. We should expect this should make the tasks for investigators relatively easy. But where were the handlers?

Planning of the attacks: The planning for this attack must have started only after, when Srilanka decided to visit Pakistan. It may have been soon after, but not before. There must have been a decision made and approved, attackers chosen, trained, route analyzed, security arrangements analyzed for the weaknesses and some sort of simulation must have taken place. This again leads to the conclusion that these attacks and level of sophistication indicates previous expertise, not a new outfit, where equipment, training and manpower had to be present and in place before hand. The attackers (or at least those caught on the camera) clearly looked, ordinary regular guys. They must have been Punjabi speaking to make it easy to mingle in with the populace to get away.

The nature of the attack: The attack itself well coordinated, well planned, and systematically executed. The place of attack, a large well known junction in Lahore ( ironically called Liberty chowk) was clearly chosen to create maximum impact and to attract wide media attention. There was clear element of dramatization. Lahore is an iconic city called heart of Pakistan. The choice was calculated. Most importantly it was not suicide attack, and attackers successfully got away as they intended to. It is being claimed that food stuff they carried indicates that they may have wanted to kidnap the cricketers. That may be true. But it is unlikely that the purpose behind that would have been any other than creating more mayhem and chaos. The planners for the attack clearly knew that these attacks will be immediately seen in the background of Mumbai attacks and will have certain specific ramifications. The sophistication of the attack was like a commercial operation carried out in the field leveled by the ferocious insurgency by ‘Islamist’ militants. While the attackers may or may not have been Pakistanis, the puppeteers were definitely not.

Targets: The choice of Sri Lankan cricket team as target is most interesting. While the attack clearly has the international dimension that attackers wanted to have, it is not a classic jihadist anti-white, anti-western attack. Cricket as a sport cannot considered immoral ( by strictest of conservative standard), by any stretch of imagination and Pakistani cricket team is full of Tablighi players. This alone shall put Taliban at the bottom of the suspect list, if not rule them out completely. The sole purpose of attacking a visiting international team was to get international media attention to focus on terrorist activities in Pakistan. This they did very successfully.

Circumstances: There was clear lack of through security planning and somebody had become lax somewhere. Some claim that recent change of police chief may have contributed to this. This is unlikely. Although there was no route protection, and certainly not the level of security that had been promised to the visiting guests. This alone must put us to shame. The attackers carrying rocket launchers; hand grenade, Kalashnikovs and Mousers fought for about half an hour ( as reported) without even being recognized and chased. Despite of receiving the information of the attack in advance, apparently, it is shocking to see no pre-emptive measures for the incident. It clearly points towards the lack of or no coordination at all between the institutions responsible for taking care of the security.

SriLanka had agreed to visit after Indian team had refused to come following Mumbai attacks. Indians were annoyed with this Srilankan decision and had made it known to SriLankans. There is also a backdrop of growing and deep security relationship between Srilanka and Pakistan which has earned SriLanka Indian ire. One must not forget that Indian supported Tamils tigers been recently defeated at hands of Srilankan army (supported by Pakistan). Worst has been the Indian reaction. Instead of rising to the occasion as great power , the status Indians do not tire of claiming, to its shame Indian Foreign Minister Mr Mukerjee had this to say: ‘Until the infrastructures of terrorists are dismantled in Pakistan these incidents will continue to happen…… Pakistan must address terrorist organisations’. There was the usual narrow mindedness of Indian politicians with no sympathy for its neighbour.

Consequences: There is the up roar in the western media, led by usual rabid Murdoch ( AngloSaxon) pack, and it is being claimed ‘Pakistani state cannot handle itself; militancy is spreading; it needs external support, no one is safe in Pakistan, SriLanka’s decision was crazy etc etc’. That this same media never thought Britain was at risk when Irish terrorists were blowing up hotels where British Prime Minister was staying or Spain when Spanish trains were blown apart, or Israel is going to fall when Palsetinian suicide bombers attack the streets of Tel Aviv despite highest security does tell us a lot about its intentions and impartiality. There is a clear case building happening. One by one different pieces are being out in place to fit in the jigsaw. With the single and sole purpose: To isolate Pakistan internationally; establish it as an unstable and highly dangerous pariah state, and then deal with it accordingly.

Qui Bono: The prime and the first suspects in any crime is the one who benefits. So who benefits here? Any one who wants to portray Pakistan as an unstable country and wants to isolate it in the international community and degrade its standing. Anyone who wants to see and portray Pakistan as a weak country which has become a hub of international terrorism.

It is likely that many will blame Alqaida, Lashkar e Tayyibah or Taliban or such like because it is the easiest story to believe in the town. The attack has put Pakistan’s position in the sports world and the possibility of hosting an international event of 2011 cricket world cup in jeopardy. How the above mentioned, may benefit from this fact, is difficult to comprehend. But how certain powers and regional interests may do is obvious.

But before pointing fingers we must recognize and accept the fact that it is us who have given anyone a chance to do this shameful act. Our political and economic destabilization, the situation of insurgency and worsening condition of law and order has left us with hardly any options but to take the most inane nonsense on the chin. It is the internal weakness of our own system that has made the country vulnerable to the acts of terrorism. The militant image of Pakistan is a ready theatre for the international terrorist mafia. The fledgling democracy, conflicting coalitions, dispersed leadership, protesting judiciary and sinking economy are enough to allow assailers to attack Pakistan and its progressive image.

Will we wake up?

 

Will Sharifs deliver where Benazir failed?

By   azhar aslam and shaista kazmi

 

Serendipity is an interesting word in English language, not least so because its sub- continental in origin. It is defined as ‘the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable precious or agreeable things not sought for’.  About a year ago an opportunity was presented to the largest political party, PPP, when its unelected but unchallengeable leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. At a critical juncture, when fools amongst us thought the time had come for party to show maturity and sagacity, it did something that should stay as a blight of shame on it, by passing the chairmanship to a boy of 19 as hereditary mantle (except that there is no integrity, honour and conscience for these people to have shame).

 

Now Sharifs have been presented this opportunity. By being declared ‘disqualified’, they are now not eligible to be elected to an executive post, national or provincial. They are now ‘having to do politics’ from (a relatively strange and unusual) position, at least in Pakistan, of wise grand old men who lead but do not govern. Is this really bad for Pakistan or Muslim League? Are Sharifs able to see the blessing in disguise? True, one does politics to be able to govern, with the stated mission of serving people. But if you have been chief minister and prime minister and have been at it more than once, do you have to do it again? Do you have to do ‘Mugabe’? Can you not do ‘Mandela’?  

 

It seems God has handed a golden opportunity to Sharifs to show magnanimity and sagacity and leave a legacy, which will not only outlast them but can outlast any other Pakistani politician’s legacy. As things stand however, it seems they have taken the bait and reacted according to the lowly standards of Pakistani politics.  Two major parties of the country are now combating each other, paying no heed to the consequences.

 

Compared to the interest of the country, the moral, legal and political stance of both parties seems beside the point or irrelevant in the ‘large scheme of things’. Sharifs could have won an immediate moral and political victory and secured for themselves and their protégés a long term future by declaring to become grand old men of the party and run the affairs by (proxy) getting new leadership elected and approved.  They could have come out in open and declared that they did not covet the chief- or prime-minsterships and were willing to serve their country from the side lines.

 

Actions and reactions of Zardari and Sharifs following the Supreme Court’s decision has plunged the country into a political chaos.  This new confrontation has further kicked the fledgling and unstable democracy or little semblance of it, what we have. Fiercely provoked processions, angry mobs and rash political workers are setting private and public possessions on fire, ruining law and order situation and challenging the writ of the government or whatever is left of it. This perhaps may be seen as message for all the stake holders, that politicians in Pakistan are about to be fail, yet again.

 

In truth, the decision, on balance of probabilities may be a tad unfair. But then who said life was fair.  Accusing President Zardari for his cunning, insincere and hypocrite policies, both the brothers have decided to fight for their rights. And true the President’s sudden and impetuous decision of imposing governor rule in Punjab and approaching Q league to try to establish a PPP government in Punjab, provide enough proof of his dictatorial approach. But can Sharifs not see an opportunity in this adversity?  Will they lead the country back into the seesaw politics of 90s? Will they not realise that times have changed? Pakistan now faces bigger challenges and far more serious threats.

 

Certainly the priority issues are at the peril of being ignored once again. The current peace deal with Taliban in NWFP, economic and financial slow down, and external security threats, demand a very responsible leadership. There is an increased responsibility on the shoulders of all politicians, but there is a special onus on Zardari and Sharifs. Zardari has been very disappointing up to now. But Will Sharifs do the same?  Will they not turn the tables and raise their stature when they have a chance?

 

Sharifs can save the federation by refusing the politics of reaction. They can gain an upper hand by becoming De Facto leaders such as Deng Xiaoping. They can set right; the 60 years of wrongs done by politicians in this country with this masterly stroke and lead the atonement. As a reward they can be not only assured a high place in the history, in the process they will set themselves a class apart. But will they look onto the horizon of the history or will they be blinded by the short-termism of Pakistani politics? Will they deliver where Benazir failed?